John 10:14
John 10:1414I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep know Me,
Jehovah's Witnesses acknowledge Jesus as the "fine shepherd" but filter the relationship through the organisation. Knowing Jesus, in Watchtower teaching, means studying Watchtower publications and submitting to the Governing Body's direction. The personal, relational dimension of the shepherd-sheep bond is subordinated to institutional loyalty. The Watchtower has stated that salvation requires identification with, and obedience to, the organisation — effectively inserting an organisational intermediary between the shepherd and his sheep.
Jesus declares a direct, personal, mutual knowledge between himself and each believer. The verb "know" (ginōskō) carries relational weight — it is covenantal knowing, not mere data transfer. Jesus parallels the intimacy of this knowledge with the Father-Son relationship in the very next verse (), elevating the shepherd-sheep bond to the highest possible register. No organisational trunk stands between the vine and the branches (), and no intermediary is inserted between the shepherd and the sheep. The architecture Jesus describes is direct: "I know my own and my own know me." echoes the same pattern — "Jehovah is my shepherd" is a personal confession, not an institutional one. This verse grounds the Reformed insistence that every believer has direct access to Christ without requiring an earthly mediating organisation.